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Michigan couples train puppies to be Leader Dogs

Lisa Roose-Church
Published 6:23 p.m. ET Nov. 9, 2014

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In an Aug, 4, 2014, photo Jay and Carolyn Miller play with "Kyler' a dog currently in training to be a guide dog for the visually impaired, in Hamburg Township, Mich. They volunteer to host a puppy, and during this training phase the couple is tasked with providing basic obedience, while socializing the dog as much as possible to everyday life it will encounter as a guide dog. (AP Photo/Livingston County Daily Press & Argus, Alan Ward) NO SALES(Photo: Alan Ward, AP)

For 17 years, Miller has had dogs in his life. First as a volunteer with Paws for a Cause, and now as a puppy raiser for the Rochester Hills-based Leader Dogs for the Blind, which provides guide dogs to the visually impaired.

"I wanted to give back to society," he said.

Currently, Miller and his wife, Carolyn, are raising Kyler, a 7-month-old black Labrador they named after Kyler Elsworth, a former Michigan State University Rose Bowl defensive most valuable player.

Raising a Leader Dog is a three-step process, and Jay and Carolyn Miller are the second phase — puppy raisers.

They volunteer to host a puppy, and during this training phase the couple is tasked with providing basic obedience, while socializing the dog as much as possible to everyday life it will encounter as a guide dog.

To help with that process, Kyler, who was a "10-pound fluff ball" when the Millers got her, accompanies the couple on their movie dates or when they go shopping. She accompanies them on long walks as a way to expose the puppy to sounds, movement and other people, as well as vehicles.

The couple also is tasked with teaching the dog basic obedience commands, such as sit or stay, and good manners, including not jumping on every person who visits the couple's home and staying off furniture.

Jay and Carolyn Miller are also teaching Kyler the difference between play time and work time. When they put on her Leader Dog vest and leash, Kyler reacts, paying attention to the person holding her leash.

"When the vest is on, they have to sit and heel," Jay Miller explained. "Even at the car, the dog knows something is different. It is interesting to see the difference between in uniform and out of uniform."

Out of uniform, Carolyn Miller said, Kyler is allowed "to just be a puppy." She plays with the couple's personal dog, and she tries to engage Jay Miller in a game of fetch with a knotted dog chew toy.

Kyler, who clearly has her moments of rambunctiousness and craziness, is a puppy from a litter born to Glory, a black Labrador hosted by Bruce and Betsy Hundley of Genoa Township.

The Hundleys got involved with the program after they had to euthanize their dog when she had reached the end of her life cycle, Betsy Hundley said.

"It was very hard on us, so we decided to get involved in the beginning of the life cycle instead of the end," she said. "Glory is our third puppy to raise for Leader Dogs."

Puppy raisers have the dog at their home for 12 months to 15 months, and then they are turned into Leader Dogs for formal training.

Bruce Hundley said the puppies know that when the harness is on it's time to work.

"When they put the harness on, the dogs dip their head; they love to go," he said.

Not all the dogs, however, will become Leader Dogs.

The Hundleys' first puppy was pulled from the Leader Dogs program when it was learned her litter had a genetic issue, and she was retired, living out her days as someone's pet. Their second puppy is in service with a woman who lives in Wisconsin.

Some of the dogs who do not succeed are given to rescue groups that find homes for the dogs.

One puppy that wasn't quite right for Leader Dogs but was recognized as having other quality traits went to Stiggy's Dogs, a Howell-based nonprofit group that trains dogs to be service dogs for veterans who have post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury, Leader Dogs officials said.

When it came time to turn Glory in, the Hundleys believed that she would succeed because she was "very smart." They were surprised when they received a call from Leader Dog officials asking if they wanted Glory back.

"She was too smart because she was pulled for breeder stock," Betsy explained. "Originally, we weren't sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing. We didn't know if we had done something wrong, but we learned that basically, it was like having your kindergartener accepted at Harvard. They only accept a small amount to breed."

Jay Miller said one of the toughest parts about hosting the puppies is that other people are not always respectful of the dog's position. When the dog is wearing a vest or a bandanna that identifies it as a Leader Dog, people should not just walk up and pet the dog, he said, because the dog is working and cannot be distracted. Such distractions could lead to errors that could cause harm to the visually impaired, such as not stopping for traffic.

"The toughest part is permanently having a puppy," Jay Miller said. "Just when the dog is super well-behaved, we turn him in. You know when it's time. When you're in public and the dog is perfectly behaved, it sits and stays, and then you start over."

All the tough moments, however, are worth it.

"The dogs get placed with someone and it changes their life," he said. "It's incredible."